The Falcon Chronicle December 17, 2015 MULTICULTURAL NIGHT At Multicultural Night at PACS, all grades perform either a song, dance, poem or act that is related to a certain country around the world. Students work very hard to perfect their routines so it can be just right for the parents. It is a very special night; the whole school is involved in the performance, but the lower school and upper school perform at different times. Ms. Jahn works especially hard to make the lower school singers and performers sound and look beautiful. Ms. Alonzo goes above and beyond with the 8th grade because it is their last year doing MultiCultural Night, and Ms. Ito makes costumes for the 8th graders. As you can imagine, will look stunning! This year, the 7th graders are choreographing their own dance which is amazing for 7th graders. The song they will be performing to is called “La La La” by Shakira. They will be showcasing the country of Brazil. Doesn’t Multi Cultural Night sound amazing? There will be so much to see! What a special night it will be! Kaylah Coleman Naa Afoley Otu
Volume 1, Issue 4 High School Placement Process The High School Placement Process is incredibly stressful. 8th grade is the time to build long lasting relationships with your peers and the time to start applying for high school. Graduating 8th grade is a milestone in someone's life. The transition from elementary school to high school has a humongous impact on your life. The first step Is choosing your top 5 high schools. The second step is visiting your top 5 high schools. The third step is applying to those high schools. The final step is graduating. It sounds like an easy 4 steps, but it is not. It is complicated and it is also kind of frightening - frightening because you are getting older and you have to face more responsibilities. I have been at PACS for 9 years, since I was 6 years old. Being at PACS has taught me a valuable lesson. Everyone in our school are basically family. It is a very caring environment. Continued on Page 03
Falcon Cheer Squad
READING RAFFLE CONTEST
The Falcon Cheer Squad is back and better than ever. You won’t be able to believe your eyes when you see the cheerleaders! Last year they had some bumps in the road, but they fixed all the disadvantages. They have better cheers and way more excitement. The stunts are starting to come together wonderfully with the two new flyers. Coach Kim is working harder and harder to make sure her team is a success this year. Those who are lucky enough to watch the Falcon Cheer Squad in action will not believe their spirit cheer. This year the team is loud, proud, and ready to cheer on the crowd. PACS students and faculty should look forward to the PEP rally on January 8th. It is going to be “lit”! Kaylah Coleman
Congratulations, Tyler Greene (Grade 8) winner of the November/December Reading Raffle contest!
LIGHT UP SHOES? Light up shoes. What do you first think of when you hear those words? You probably think of those shoes you used to have as a kid made by Sketchers. Well, this is not this case. The sneakers that I’m talking about 98KB Light-Up Shoes are starting to grow in the fashion industry. The main sellers of these LED light up shoes are called 98kb. This is actually a group of rappers, who are raising money for their musical purposes. It is actually a movement sponsored by Go Fund Me . The price of these sneakers are $98.00, but they are currently having a sale of $68.00. You can get more information at 98kbthemovement.com or simply if you type up “98kb” on Google. These sneakers come in black, white and red. They also have a pair for breast cancer awareness month. The light colors are blue, green, pink, purple, and more. So, that was just a brief description of those sneakers. You should really put this product on your Christmas list. (If you celebrate it, that is!) Naa Foley
Tyler will receive a $15 Barnes and Noble gift card for his review of Death by a Black Hole by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Tyler thought that the author provided a Tyler Greene, Grade 8 “captivating” description of space and would recommend this book to a friend. Way to go, Tyler!! The Reading Raffle Contest will start again after Winter Break.
The Falcon Chronicle
www.pacsnewark.org THANKSGIVING FEAST
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Traditions at my school help bring the students, faculty, and families closer together. The month of November is a rather important one at my school. Thanksgiving is a time of bonding, laughter and interaction with different cultures. When you look at our school you will mainly see many students of African-American descent, but we are much more then that. We are different people with different stories from different parts of the world. The Thanksgiving feast that we have at PACS is one that you won’t forget from the festive colors that flood the dining room, to the smallest detail on the center piece on the tables. The parents are welcome to take part in this event by bringing in foods from their own countries. This opens up the students’ minds to what a structured family is like. Because, a lot of kids in this day and age have a parent that's not around anymore. That why it is so important to have a structured family at a young age is so important. This is why the Philips academy Charter School Thanksgiving Feast is so unforgettable. James Hunt
CHRISTMAS!!!! One Main Gift That The Falcon Chronicle Team Wants For Christmas… Jordan McMillan: Kobe 10 “Grinch” Justin McDonald: Air Jordan 11 “Concord” Rayne Harrison: Iphone 6 James Hunt: New family George Okongwu: Air Jordan 8 “Chrome” Brandon David: Air Jordan 11 “72-10” Travis Derival: Air Jordan 7 “Sweatshirt” Kaya Moody: $$$ Michael Torres : A dog named mojo Kaylah Coleman: “Doesn’t know”
STUNT BIKES! This is a stunt bike made for wheelies, stoppies, burnout, and standing up on the seat. These bikes are usually pretty fast and used for burn outs. Most bikes are fast and do many things. People use stunt bike to relieve stress and have fun. Most stunt riders ride in groups so if they get hurt someone can help them. Many riders ride on Yamahas, Honda CBR’s F4I’s, Kawasaki Ninja 636’s, and Yamaha WR450F and CRF450’s. Go ahead and try riding on a stunt bike. You won’t be sorry! Shawn Thompson
The Falcon Chronicle www.pacsnewark.org Getting into the BEST High School
Page 03 My BIG trip to D.C
Continued from Page 01 After being in this school for so long, it is kind of sad to be moving forward and everyone and everything that you know you have to leave behind. With that said, obviously, the high school placement process is daunting. I will be leaving a place where I feel comfortable and safe, and moving forward to a future with more challenges and obstacles. Just imagine after graduating 8th grade you will be an adult in 4 years. It is hard to believe! The anticipation of waiting to see if you got into your dream high school is irritating and aggravating. You have a very strong concern and you just wait. In the meantime, you try to do your best in your classes and keep your grades up to par. You certainly cannot mess up now! This is the year you need to keep your game up! Dominique Smith-Colter
I traveled the week of November 9-14th to Washington D.C. My mom forced me to go, and to be honest, at first I did not want to go because I felt like it was a waste of time and money. But, when I came there I felt confident. I felt clean and fresh because I had a nice outfit on. But as soon as I walked in I felt scared again because I didn’t know anyone there. As I continued the program I started to get to know people. Some of the people in my leadership group I had to spend the whole day with because of the program. So, I lived in a dorm with 3 roommates. I made friends with them and I hung out with them for the majority of the program. The program was about robotics and leading your team. What I liked mostly about the program was making Lego robots. I learned to realize my full potential and made something I thought I could never do. George O.
The Falcon Chronicle TEAM Syracuse Arizona State Hawaii TCU Syracuse
www.pacsnewark.org
2015-2016 PACS INTRAMURAL STANDINGS 5TH GRADE 6TH GRADE W L T PF PA TEAM W L T PF 2 0 0 26 16 Georgia 2 0 0 26 Tech 1 1 0 18 21 Alabama 1 1 0 26 1 1 0 28 28 Baylor 1 1 0 26 0 2 0 26 33 Florida 0 2 0 12 SCORES & SCHEDULES SCORES & SCHEDULES 15 TCU 9 11/10 Florida 7 Alabama 12
Arizona State
11
Hawaii
10
11/18
Arizona State
7
Syracuse
11
12/1
TCU Arizona State
17 TBA
Hawaii TCU
18 TBA
12/9 1/11
Syracuse TEAM Notre Dame Ohio State Michigan Pittsburgh Notre Dame Michigan Ohio State Michigan
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TBA Hawaii TBA 1/20 TH 7 GRADE W L T PF PA 1 1 0 22 29 2 0 0 35 26 0 1 0 16 17 0 1 0 11 12 SCORES & SCHEDULES 12 Pittsburgh 11 11/20 16 Ohio State 17 12/3 18 Notre Dame 10 12/11 TBA Pittsburgh TBA 1/5
Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Alabama Georgia Tech Alabama Finals
PA 16 22 26 26 11/11
12 Baylor
11
11/19
14 Florida
5
12/2
14 Baylor TBA Florida
15 TBA
12/10 1/11
TBA Baylor TBA TBA Finals TBA 8TH GRADE TEAM W L T PF Illinois 1 0 0 20 Oregon 1 0 0 14 Rutgers 0 1 0 12 LSU 0 1 0 8 SCORES & SCHEDULES Illinois 20 LSU 8 Oregon 14 Rutgers 12 Illinois TBA Rutgers TBA TBA
1/21 1/29 PA 8 12 14 20 11/13 12/4 12/14
Semi-Finals
TBA
Semi-Finals
TBA
1/13
Oregon
TBA LSU
1/6
Semi-Finals
TBA
Semi-Finals
TBA
1/22
Semi-Finals
TBA Semi-Finals
TBA
1/14
Finals
TBA
Finals
TBA
2/1
Semi-Finals Finals
TBA Semi-Finals TBA Finals
TBA TBA
1/25 2/2
THE STREAK IS OVER BUT CURRY IS THE MAN! The defending NBA champions, The Golden State Warriors, streak is over. They were on a 27 game streak which was the second longest winning streak in NBA history! The Golden State Warriors lost to the Milwaukee Bucks - an absolutely horrible team. The night before this game, the Warriors played the Boston Celtics and the game went into double overtime, with the Warriors winning. The Warriors were probably tired and this could have contributed to them losing against the Bucks. Now, the GSW are 27-1 which is still #1 in the League. The warriors will come back and go on to the playoffs and win the championship once again! Stephen Curry, who is #30, and 27 years old, is the best player on the team and without him, the Warriors would not be winning! As of right now, Curry averages more than anybody else in the NBA and is definitely the best player in the NBA. He now even has his own shoe line, called CURRY 2 - that is how good he is! They are popular shoes and one of his shoe names are called “Suit and Tie.” Keep your eye on the Warriors because they will win the Championship with Curry leading the way!
Travis Derival
The Falcon Chronicle
www.pacsnewark.org
EDITOR’S NOTE December has been a busy, as well as festive month at PACS. We ended November with a beautiful Thanksgiving feast in the dining room, and then a nice few days off to spend with our families and get rejuvenated. But, as it always does, December rolled its way in WAY too quickly! Some highlights during this month: Philip’s Academy students and teachers participated in the third annual Hour of Code event. The Hour of Code is global initiative to introduce students to the importance of learning to code while having fun. Homeroom teachers helped students to learn how to program “loops.” A mash-up of videos from students from Kindergarten through 8th grade will be created and premiered at our next Community Time Assembly in January. We can’t wait to see the whole school “getting loopy”! Mr.Augello organized a STUDENT versus STAFF Volley Ball Game where the 6th and 8th grade lost, but the 7th graders were victorious over the teachers. Teachers and Students alike have been working very hard on making Multi-Cultural Night amazing; it is this coming Friday, December 18th. Everyone is looking forward to an afternoon of dancing and singing. The Harvests of the Month for December were root vegetables and cranberries. Grades 5-8 visited the teaching kitchen this month to make the PACS Recipe of the Month: Root Vegetable Soup! Additionally, many of the students made cranberry treats, including plantain and cranberry muffins, and thumbprint cookies with Bianca’s homemade cranberry sauce. The 2nd and 3rd graders learned that popcorn can be a healthy, whole grain snack when made and seasoned at home, while the 6th graders helped Ms. Flowers make homemade hawthorn berry jam harvested from our own rooftop garden! Students can look forward to January’s Recipe of the Month, which is a favorite Korean dish called Kimchi. YUM! With the holidays coming, the PACS Holiday Gift Shop has been up and running - toys, mugs, jewelry and other small gifts have been in Room 300 for the purchasing. The Hat, Coat and Glove Drive has also been going on, as well as the Used Sneaker Drive. PACS Family Fun Night is at The Prudential Center on December 17th. Those who are lucky enough to attend will be seeing a Devils Hockey game. Finally, Ms. Symonds and the handwork students have been offering wooden sheep ornaments for sale. They are FANTASTIC and the perfect gift! The wool was made with plant dyes and bright unspun fleece. Part of the sale price benefits HEIFER INTERNATIONAL as PACS is trying to sponsor the gift of a sheep for a family in the developing world. Check them out! It is certain that all can agree that students and teachers alike are looking forward to the break, and to enjoying the holiday season with their families. So, with that, the staff at the Falcon Chronicle say goodbye to 2015 and hello to 2016. Sarah Wolpert Editor-in-Chief Dominick McKoy Design Editor
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What’s going on in the Book Club? After school every Wednesday is a book club, directed by Ms.G. Numbers of children that stay late after school go to the book club. Kaitlyn Johnson, Sasha Thomas, and Amil Simmons went on a hunt for information about the book club. They interviewed members of the club. Let’s hear what they have to say!
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Alshanna I wanted to join because I wanted to read more. We read books about Steve Jobs and Stephen Curry I love Steve Jobs because he made Apple and changed my life. I love Stephen Curry because he is my favorite basketball player. We read happy and sad books. We talk about what we read and how they made us feel Darren I joined the book club because I wanted to do something that I wanted to do! It is really fun - that is what made me join The book club isn’t just about reading books. It helps because we learn more words and use them in context.
So...come by and see the Book Club in action someday! You won’t be disappointed. Sasha Thomas Amil Simmons Kaitlyn Johnson